What you should know

People who work outside Canada may be entitled to benefits under Canada's Employment Insurance (EI) program. If you work outside Canada for a Canadian company or the Canadian government, you are usually covered by EI. However, you will not be insured by the EI program if your job is covered by the country in which you are working.

If you are not sure whether your job is insured under Canada's EI program, ask your employer or call the Canada Revenue Agency at 1-800-959-5525.

Who can apply

Canadian Employment Insurance benefits may be paid to you when you reside or work outside Canada in the following situations:

your last employment was in Canada, but you now reside in the United States;

you are a commuter (a resident of Canada or the U.S. who regularly crosses the Canada–U.S. border between your residence and workplace

You may be eligible for American Unemployment Insurance benefits if your last employment was in the United States and you now reside in Canada. If you also had previous employment in Canada, you may be able to file a claim for Canadian Employment Insurance benefits instead. You may be able to receive benefits from either Canada or the United States, but youcannot receive benefits from both countries at the same time.

How to file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits

To file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits, you must call the Telephone Information Service or go to the nearest Service Canada Centre. You will be asked to give your name, address, phone number, Social Insurance Number (SIN) and Social Security Number (SSN) and indicate the state from which you want to claim benefits. Depending on the state in which you last worked, you may be able to file a claim directly with the workforce development agency for that state via the Internet or by phone. If the workforce development agency for that state does not accept claims via the Internet or by phone, information will be forwarded to a designated office responsible for handling such claims based on where you reside in Canada. You may also contact the designated Service Canada Centre directly.

You must provide proof that your employment in the United States was authorized by American immigration regulations and that you are available for and actively seeking work in Canada. If you are not a Canadian resident, you will be asked for proof that you are authorized to work in Canada.

If you worked for the American Armed Forces in the United States and you want to move or return to Canada, you must file a claim for benefits at the nearest state workforce development agency in the United States. Service Canada Centres cannot accept these claims for benefits.

Atlantic Region

For residents of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island:

How to file a claim for Canadian Employment Insurance benefits if you reside outside Canada

You may file your claim for Canadian Employment Insurance benefits online

If you are residing in the United States and claiming regular benefits, you must be available and actively seeking work and you must provide proof that you are legally authorized to work in the United States. You will also need to submit your Record of Employment (ROE) from your Canadian employer.

You will need to submit your ROEs from all your Canadian employers who issued ROEs in paper format in the last 52 weeks. However, if your employer submits your ROE to Service Canada electronically, you do not need to submit a copy of your ROE to Service Canada, since we will have received it from your employer. On the same day your employer submits it, you will be able to view and print copies of your ROE online using My Service Canada Account.

If you reside outside Canada in a country other than the United States, you may be eligible for maternity and parental or compassionate care benefits, provided you have a valid Social Insurance Number. Regular benefits are not payable to a person residing in a country other than Canada or the United States.

All claims received from people residing outside of Canada are processed in the Ontario region, at the Service Canada Centre in Sudbury. For more information, call 1-877-486-1650.

* In some instances, you may need at least 910 hours to qualify (for example, if you are in the work force for the first time or you are re-entering the work force after an absence of two years). However, if you have received at least one week of maternity and parental benefits in the 208 weeks before the 52-week period prior to the qualifying period, you will require between 420 and 700 hours to qualify for regular benefits. For more information, call 1-800-206-7218

You may file your claim for Canadian Employment Insurance maternity and parental, sickness or compassionate care benefits online. For more information, call 1-800-206-7218.

Canadian government and Armed Forces personnel posted in the United States

You may be entitled to regular, maternity and parental, sickness or compassionate care benefits if you or your dependants are posted in the United States and working for the Canadian government or for the Armed Forces. Dependants include your spouse, unmarried children under 21, unmarried full-time students under 25 and unmarried disabled children

You may file your claim for Canadian Employment Insurance benefits online. For more information, call 1-800-206-7218.

Your permanent residence is in a country other than Canada or the United States

If you permanently reside in a country other than Canada or the United States, you may be eligible for maternity and parental, sickness or compassionate care benefits if you have worked in a job in your country of residence that is insurable under Canada's Employment Insurance (EI) program.

For example, you may be a spouse of a member of the Canadian Armed Forces and working abroad for the Canadian government. If you become ill and are unable to work, you can apply for sickness benefits if you meet the requirements.

You may file a claim for Canadian EI maternity and parental, sickness or compassionate care benefits online. For more information, call 1-800-206-7218 or write to the following address:

If you normally reside outside Canada and the United States and your last employment was in Canada, you may be eligible for maternity and parental or compassionate care benefits, provided you have a valid Social Insurance Number.

You are a commuter

Commuters are Canadians or Americans who regularly cross the Canada–U.S. border between their residence and workplace.

If you are a Canadian living near the American border and you usually commute to the United States to work, you must file a claim for American Unemployment Insurance benefits at the nearest state workforce development agency.